8 Philippine Showbiz Today
8 Philippine Showbiz Today
February 8 - 21 , 2017 Jan . 22-Feb . 7 , 2015
Already scheduled to reprise her role as Gigi in the 2017 Broadway revival of Miss Saigon , Rachelle Ann Go will continue her streak of starring in major musical productions with her casting in the coming London West End staging of Hamilton .
Rachelle herself confirmed the reports posted late this week by Broadway . com and Broadwayworld . com . On her Instagram page , Rachelle posted a photo of her herself and Hamilton author Lin-Manuel Miranda with the caption , “ So , Lin Manuel !!!” and the hashtags , # HamiltonWestEnd and # HamiltonLDN .”
Miranda wrote the music , lyrics and libretto of “ Hamilton ” based on the life and times of American Founding Father Alexander Hamilton . The musical was an instant hit with critics and audiences when it debuted onstage in 2015 . It went on to garner a record 15 nominations in the 70th Tony Awards where it won 11 including Best Musical .
Rachelle was cast to play the role of Elizabeth “ Eliza ” Schuyler Hamilton , wife of Alexander . Another Filipina , Christine
Rachelle Ann Go joins London production of hit musical Hamilton
Allado , will portray the dual roles of Peggy Schuyler and Maria Reynolds .
Now 30 , Rachelle joined and won several singing competitions before rising to fame as the grand champion of GMA Network ’ s defunct talent search show , “ Search for a Star .”
Already a sought-after professional singer with several hit records and sold out concerts to her name , Rachelle also pursued a career in theater starting with the headlining role of Ariel in the Philippine productions of The Little Mermaid which was followed by her equally acclaimed turn as Jane Porter in Tarzan The Musical in 2013 .
In 2014 , Rachelle successfully auditioned for the West End revival of Miss Saigon and was cast in the role of bar girl Gigi Van Tranh . Following this , she was then cast in the role of Fantine for the 30th anniversary of another Cameron Mackintosh-produced musical , Les Miserables , which also toured several countries including the Philippines .
Health and voice issues , however , forced Rachelle to skip some of the Manila shows staged at The Theatre in Solaire Resort & Casino .
With her health no longer a concern and her voice back in tiptop shape , it looks like Rachelle is ready for bigger theatrical challenges ahead .
Broadway . com reported that Rachelle ’ s stint in Miss Saigon ends this August , giving her more than enough time to prepare and rehearse for Hamilton , which opens at the Victoria Palace Theater on November 21 . ●
- E . Sallan , Interaksyon
Rachelle Ann Go with Lin Manuel-Miranda , the author , librettist , composer , and star of ‘ Hamilton .’ ( Photo from her Instagram page )